NCJ Number
128858
Journal
Education and Urban Society Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (May 1990) Pages: 314-324
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Because the elementary school is a major focus of child abuse detection, teachers and principals must act as secondary enforcers in discovering and reporting incidents of child abuse.
Abstract
This role of elementary school principals was examined through a survey of 10 Ontario principals and 10 Michigan principals who participated in semi-structured interviews on the reporting process in their schools, school programs and practices, and the impact of the abuse issue on the relationship among child abuse actors including social services, school staff, children, and the children's families. The survey indicates that attention over the issue of child abuse has made secondary enforcers more sensitive to possibly abused children. However, they are often critical of legislators who overlook the overall problems of social inequality. Principals point out that "moral entrepreneurs" and "rule creators" need to be sensitive to the impact of child abuse legislation on the relationships between school and family. There is a feeling of dissatisfaction with child protection service bureaucracies as well as a role conflict among secondary enforcers. The authors suggest that intervention strategies must support, not disrupt, sensitive school climates. 4 tables and 5 references